A belt buckle is a clasp or fastening device used to join the loose ends of a belt or strap. The buckle typically has a flat rectangular frame. The buckle is attached to one end of the belt by looping the belt end over one side of the buckle frame, folding it back on itself, and securing this belt end to the inside of the belt, capturing one side of the buckle frame within a pocket or sleeve created by this belt loop. In this attached position, the belt buckle can freely move and swings back and forth. A hinged pin or prong is attached to the side of the buckle frame that is captured by the loop at the end of the belt. The hinged prong can freely pivot from this bar. The prong aids in cinching the belt around the waist of the wearer by insertion through an appropriate eyelet formed in the belt, after the free end of the belt has been threaded through the opening in the buckle frame.
The free movement of the belt buckle requires that a user employ both hands to fasten the belt. One hand must hold the buckle firmly in place while the other hand threads the free end of the belt through the buckle opening. Even after this threading exercise, the user must still exhibit a precise dexterity in handling the belt and buckle combination by first drawing the belt back against the buckle in a tightening motion, and then carefully inserting the buckle prong into the appropriate eyelet in the belt. As before with the threading operation, both hands are necessary in this cinching operation: one hand draws the free end of the belt tight while the other hand maneuvers the buckle prong into the appropriate eyelet in the belt. The manipulation of the belt and buckle, while a common task for most people, can present significant challenges for other individuals. The two-handed operation makes conventional belts very difficult to use for individuals who do not have both hands available or who have impaired dexterity in their hands or fingers.
A user with only a single available hand would find it very difficult to manage the threading operation, since the conventional belt buckle freely pivots within its attached position at the end of the belt. Even if such a user does succeed in threading the free end of the belt through the buckle opening, and is able to cinch the belt tight, there is the further challenge of how to insert the pivoting buckle prong through the appropriate belt eyelet.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a belt fastener system that can support a one-handed operation and that reduces the number of moving parts in the buckle design, creating a more stable fastening mechanism.